The small fish was initially going to be off limits as of this coming Tuesday, but the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection extended the season through the end of the year because of the fish's abundance.
The department's marine fisheries director, David Simpson, said the scup is in good health because of conservation efforts over the last decade.
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York are pursuing similar measures to keep their recreational scup season open for the rest of 2011. Federal waters outside Long Island Sound are still closing for scup fishing on Tuesday.
